Sunday, 17 July 2016

Sahara Group and foremost Nigerian film producer, Kunle Afolayan have extended the deadline for application to the ongoing “Grooming Film Extrapreneurs with Kunle Afolayan” project following requests from young film makers across the nation. Submission of entries into the competition which was designed to provide a hub for budding film makers to express their skills under the tutelage of Kunle Afolayan, now ends on August 28, 2016. *Kunle Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, said the company was delighted to extend the previous deadline of July 25 in response to the quality of entries so far received and endless appeals from aspiring film makers. The first of a series of activities to mark the 20th anniversary of Sahara Group, the project seeks to connect young film makers with stakeholders that can help hone their skills to enhance productivity, excellence and sustainability in their careers Young film makers in Nigeria can join the competition by channeling their creativity into celebrating entrepreneurship in Nigeria by shooting a 15-minute documentary that captures entrepreneurs at work across the nation. The theme of the documentary should focus on: “My Nigeria, My Platform…Nigeria through an entrepreneur’s eyes.’ The competition is open to film makers not older than 35 years. “We unveiled this project about two weeks ago and have already received interesting entries which reinforce our belief in the boundless creativity of Nigerians. We are hopeful that the extension would give more participants the opportunity to be part of the project that is set to produce a new crop of excellent movie producers. Interested participants should visit www.saharaextrapreneurs.org to learn how to submit their documentaries,” the company’s spokesperson said. The 15-minute documentaries are expected to highlight the story of Nigerian entrepreneurs, with a focus on how their activities are providing sustainable solutions, creating employment and promoting socio-economic development in the nation. All submitted documentaries will be screened by the multiple award-winning Kunle Afolayan and the overall winner will undergo a mentorship programme with the leading film producer and director for six (6) months. The entries will be whittled down to a shortlist of 20, a number that is commemorative of Sahara’s 20th anniversary. These 20 entries will then go on to the final stage from where a winner will be selected. Afolayan urged young film makers to take advantage of the extension to produce entries that will shape a positive narrative for Nigeria as a nation with enterprising, resilient and creative people. He stated that the overall winner would ultimately become a much sought after professional and inspire a revolution that will produce more movie makers in Nigeria. “I believe in this project and working together with Sahara Group is a partnership that will boost the movie industry in future. I will be looking out for creativity and inspiring stories. We do not expect participants to commit a huge budget to their documentaries, all you need is a story that commands attention.” Afolayan had during the launch of the project stated that the overall winner would have an opportunity to improve markedly on various aspects of film making including: style of storytelling, subject matter interpretation, audio and visual quality, aesthetics as well as understanding of the perspective of a story. “More important, the winner will also learn the commercial side of film making so that he or she is not just a good film maker, but also be a wealthy film maker,” he added.